~ Covering the Kingdom of Æthelmearc of the SCA

In Memoriam: Lady Amanda of Kirkby Lonsdale

Lady Amanda at Crown Tourney in 2014 with her son. Photo by Baron Rhiannon Elandris of Glyndyfrdwy.

We are deeply saddened at the unexpected passing of Lady Amanda of Kirkby Lonsdale (Suzanne Veter) in December.

She was second generation SCA, and Principal of the Order of the Tyger’s Cub in the East Kingdom (equivalent to the Silver Buccle, for children). She grew up in the Rhydderich Hael, traveled extensively, and has lived in the Debatable Lands for the past 7 or so years. Amanda was a sweet lady, and the loss of her light is felt strongly.

Baron Rhiannon Elandris of Glyndyfrdwy recalls “When I first met Amanda, she must have been about 8 or 9. At 17, I had just started fighting, but was frequently asked to be a bodyguard for her and a gaggle of other little girls. It made me a little unhappy because I wanted the practice and they were not easy to keep track of. As an adult, Suzanne remembered this and said she had always felt safe with me as a guard. She also mentioned that all the girls knew I wasn’t really happy about the job and apologized for the way that they had acted to drive me crazy. She was a kind and very caring lady who reminds me very much of her mother. She included me in things that I never expected. For the last 10 years or so she made sure to send me a postcard from Pennsic, so I would feel that I was there. It has meant so much to me to know her as an adult. I am very proud to call her a friend. Adult and child, she will always be remembered in my heart. ”

Mistress Elizabeth nic Iain, formerly of Østgardr (NYC) the East, now in Atlantia, recalls, “We first met at either a Twelfth Night or a Coronation upstate [in NY] when we were children. We were both maids in waiting to the queen. She was so pretty, I was initially intimidated by her, but she was so sweet, and helped me know what to do, and we became lifelong friends from that day.”

Lady Amanda as a teen. Photo courtesy of Laura Peskett.

Mistress Arianna of Wynthrope recalls, “I met Amanda when she was a child of 8, and was immediately impressed with her good nature and eagerness to help out. Within a short time she became so adept as a server at feasts that she was routinely put in charge of serving High Table. She was made Principal of the East’s children’s order, the Tyger’s Cub, at the age of 10. By the time she was 11 she had received her Award of Arms and served as a page to multiple Queens of the East. But I remember her fondly for more than her hard work; she was unfailingly kind, friendly, and generous to everyone she met. She will be missed.”

We offer our condolences to Lady Amanda’s husband, Viscount Ariel, her two children, her parents, Sir Raimund of the Strait and Viscountess Angharad of Lion’s Tower, and her friends.